Everyone can benefit from a boost in COVID protection before the winter respiratory virus season. Here are just a few reasons why you should roll up your sleeve for the updated COVID shot.
COVID isn’t gone.
We are in a MUCH better place than we were for the past three winters, thanks to accumulated immunity from both vaccines and infections. BUT, COVID is still routinely killing more than 1000 Americans per week, which is worse than a bad flu season (and we still have the flu on top of this).
An updated COVID shot boosts your protection against severe disease.
Even for those who had *all* the previous shots, a booster last year provided additional protection against critical illness and hospitalization. Even for people who are younger. We now know that unfortunately, COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness wanes over time. SARS-CoV-2 also mutates over time, which is why we have an updated formula that matches current variants. The vaccines are still our best tool for keeping people out of the hospital and not dying from COVID, but they do have to be refreshed. It’s not a one-and-done vaccine.
You’ll lower your chances of getting infected, especially in the short term.
Antibodies that neutralize the virus increase considerably after COVID vaccination. That means your risk of infection is lower (but not zero) for a little while. The updated XBB Covid vaccine is a good match to circulating variants, meaning this protection may be particularly good right now. COVID can be a nasty virus for anyone, so avoiding an infection you might have otherwise gotten is win-win.
It’s not obvious who is high-risk for severe COVID.
There is no clearly defined group that is completely safe from severe COVID, and it is not easy to know who is at highest risk. Increasing age is the strongest risk factor, but otherwise most people don’t know if they are particularly vulnerable to severe COVID or not. Even age isn’t clear-cut. We know many older relatives who underestimate their risk based on age alone because they are generally healthy. This is not a risk you want to take.
Vaccination may reduce the risk of long COVID and help in the recovery for some.
Each repeat COVID-19 infection is a new chance for potential longer-term consequences. Data presented at the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) meeting on the updated vaccine found that three doses of vaccine were more protective than two doses against long COVID, suggesting a benefit for additional doses. There is also suggestive evidence that vaccination can alleviate existing long COVID symptoms.
You can help protect those around you.
Fewer infections mean less transmission. Less transmission means fewer cases. Fewer cases mean fewer serious cases and deaths. While COVID vaccines don’t “block” transmission completely as we once hoped, they do reduce the likelihood of transmission. If my vaccine protects me from an infection, even in the short term, I can’t pass the virus to others. This means that my vaccine also protects other people, particularly those whose immune systems don’t respond as well to vaccines.
The vaccines are extremely safe. COVID is not.
The COVID vaccines are among the most extensively monitored in human history, and extremely safe. Your chances of encountering COVID this winter are high. A decision not to get the vaccine is a decision to expose yourself to the virus with less protection than you otherwise could have.
BOTTOM LINE:
Go get that updated COVID vaccine!
Stay Safe, Stay Well.
Love,
Those Nerdy Girls
